20 February 2015
TOYOTA PRADO ALTITUDE: BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!
Strong demand particularly from city-based customers has prompted Toyota Australia to recreate a special-edition LandCruiser Prado Altitude with an “out of sight” spare wheel.
The latest value-added Prado Altitude has the spare located under the vehicle rather than on the outside of the tailgate – and it also has a glass hatch that opens separately.
The revised rear styling results in a lighter tailgate that is easier to use and easier to open, which is particularly useful in cramped situations such as city parking.
The spare is mounted in place of the regular Prado’s secondary fuel tank – giving added convenience to owners who do not require the extended driving range.
Customers for the $65,990* special-edition model also benefit from $10,000 of extra equipment for just $5,000 more than the automatic GXL diesel model on which it is based.
Toyota Australia executive director sales and marketing Tony Cramb said the company’s dealers reported brisk demand last year for an almost identical Prado Altitude.
“Customers in metropolitan areas accounted for a markedly higher proportion of sales for the restyled Prado Altitude than for the regular Prado diesel models,” Mr Cramb said.
“The increase of six per cent reflects the added appeal of the new style among these buyers, and the 900 cars we had on offer were snapped up quickly,” he said.
“As a result, Toyota has upped the order for the latest Prado Altitude by one-third to 1,200 cars, providing an opportunity to obtain further feedback on the style and convenience of the Prado Altitude rear design.”
The 2015 version has the same added features as last year’s Altitude. It is distinguished by 17-inch alloy wheels that feature a dark-grey finish compared with the bright alloys adopted last year.
The price is also $2,530 lower thanks to the removal of import duty on vehicles flowing from the free-trade agreement with Japan.
Prado Altitude retains an 87-litre fuel tank which offers a driving range of more than 1,000km** based on official fuel-consumption figures.
Last year, total Prado sales rose 10.6 per cent while the large SUV segment in which it competes rose just one per cent.
The special model gains leather-accented seats that are trimmed with contrasting grey inserts and stitching on the bolsters and headrests.
Other equipment sourced from the premium VX and luxury Kakadu grades includes a tilt-and-slide moonroof, Blu-Ray rear entertainment system with three wireless headphones and remote control, electro-chromatic rear-view mirror, power front seats and rain-sensing wipers.
The Prado Altitude upgrade also incorporates the 14-speaker JBL audio system from the more-expensive Prado models, along with DAB+ digital radio^, a seven-inch display screen, and satellite navigation” with Suna^^ live traffic alerts.
It gains the full suite of Toyota Link# apps: Destination Download, Local Search and Fuel Finder with “navigate to” function, plus the Toyota Help feature and the user-paid Destination Assist.
Side mouldings and air-conditioning surrounds finished in chrome also feature, along with carbon fibre-look details on the dash panel and gearshift surround.
The model is set off with an Altitude badge and four premium paints: Eclipse Black (which is not offered on any other Prado), Crystal Pearl (from VX and Kakadu), Silver Pearl and Graphite.
Prado Altitude is powered by Toyota’s torquey 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, which is mated to a five-speed automatic transmission with gated shift.
It retains GXL features including reversing camera, rear parking sensors, three-zone climate-controlled air-conditioning, audio controls on the steering wheel, smart entry and start and cruise control.
There are seven airbags, vehicle stability and traction control, anti-skid brakes, hill-start assist control and downhill assist control.